LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Animal Foundation is seeking taxpayer dollars to build a call center. Shelter executives made the pitch to Clark County commissioners on Tuesday.
CEO Hilarie Grey said it’s a way to solve the big problem of animal surrenders leading to shelter overcrowding. She presented a 7-page community support plan in which a pet support call center based in Pima County, AZ is cited.
But local animal advocates and rescue groups flooded the public comment period with complaints about the shelter.
“We definitely need more money for animals but money for them is not the answer,” said Nevada Voter’s for Animals president Gina Greisen during the meeting.
In her presentation, Grey claimed live expertise could help address problems at the shelter more efficiently. The three goals she highlighted for the shelter were reducing wait times to 72 hours by end of August, reduce owner-surrender intakes by 30% by 2023 and increase shelter returns to owner by 10% by the end of 2023.
Channel 13 reached out to Pima Animal Care to understand more about the call center’s impact at their organization. Pet support coordinator Kaitlyn Pappas said the call center began in 2016 and has been very successful.
“It was identified as a need because we’re a high intake shelter and we would have lines and lines of people waiting to surrender their animals,” said Pappas. “With the call center we’re able to divert at least 6000 pets from having to come to us by offering them resources and other initiatives.”
Pima Animal Care said their current average animal intake wait time is 23 minutes.
The Animal Foundation estimates the price tag for the call center and other related needs would be nearly $600K. Clark County would be responsible for more than 40 percent of that.
Commissioners did not make a decision on Tuesday. They plan to discuss the plan again at the next meeting.
